That last chapter was nice and long, so maybe this one will turn out good and long too. It would be nice.
Yay! I'm finally ΒΌ of the way to my goal of 100 reviews! Thanks to all the reviewers along the way, couldn't have done it without you, obviously.
Wizard: Yeah, still working on that part. Strong MindSpeech for sure. It would be evil to Lan to give her Firestarting. Hmm, maybe I shall, lol.
Fireblade K'Chona: Thanks!
Crinzin: Shall do!
Tenshi: Yay! New reviewer! You make me very, very, very, very, very happy, lol.
Now, onward ho! I think I shall not be too evil and give her Firestarting, but Firestarting is just Fetching on a smaller scale. {Insert evil grin here}
Also, on a note, for material later in the chapter, I just want to remind everyone that just because she is Lifebonded, as long as she doesn't know it, she could think herself in love. For example, Dirk and Lady Naril. I know Dirk hadn't met Talia yet, but this is my little plot twist so don't kill me, please.
Chapter 7: Yearmates
Kel moaned softly and flipped over in her sleep as the bell clanged through the girl's side of the dorms. Kel blinked sleepily, for a moment not able to recall where she was. She felt different somehow.
:Up you get, Chosen! You heard the bell, didn't you? In fact, I know you heard it, as you projected it into MY mind rather strongly.: Lan Sent, his tone changing to something like a grumble as he Sent an image of himself being startled out of sleep.
Kel laughed to herself, remembering suddenly part of where she was and why. :It'll do you good, horse!: She Sent, bathing Lan in all the love she already felt for him. She vaulted out of bed grabbed the first thing that came to hand in the small closet that held her clothes. Predictably, it was a clean set of student Grays. 'Now, best get up and get bathed and breakfasted,' she thought to herself.
Suddenly, Kel felt as though her stomach had vacated its rightful place and suck down to about the region of her ankles. Breakfast meant people. Other people. Herald Trainee type people.
Kel had almost made the decision to skip breakfast and go directly to her first class after the bathing part, which would cut down the number of people she had to meet by a good deal, when Lan inserted himself into her mind.
:You promised, Chosen. Remember? Besides, it'll be good to meet your Yearmates before Orientation.:
Kel grumbled to herself about interfering horses that didn't know what was good for them, but was secretly glad that someone had made the decision for her, and especially glad that it was someone she trusted as much as Lan.
In a small bag in the bottom of the closet, Kel found a comb, some soap, and other basic necessities. She picked up the bag and made her way to the bathing room at the end of the hall.
Luckily, as she has stayed in her room for so long after the bell, by the time she got to the bathing room, it was almost empty. She was able to bathe and dress quickly and in relative peace, then she slowly and reluctantly made her way into the Dining Hall.
The sheer number of people in one place wearing Whites and Grays immediately overwhelmed her. :Are they ALL teachers and Trainees?: She asked Lan worriedly.
:'Course not, there aren't that many teaching jobs. Everyone in Grays is a Trainee, of course, but they are all from different Yeargroups, and so you won't see a lot of them. Only two dozen at most of those in Whites are teachers. The rest are in from Circuit, on their way out, or are permanently assigned to Court. Now, go sit down and get some food into you.:
Kel looked around nervously and took a seat by a couple of Gray clad Trainees who looked to be about her age. She hunched down in her seat as far as she could, and stared at the plate of hot oatcakes steaming away only a foot away from her. 'I am invisible,' she thought to herself. 'You can't see me or hear me. Don't even look at me.' It seemed to be working, because nobody so much as looked in her direction. They were all concentrated on their meal and their friends, though, which probably added to it.
'I wish those cakes would come over here.' She thought to herself, unwittingly concentrating as hard as she could on the plate of cakes, hungry but unwilling to draw attention to herself by reaching for them. Suddenly, much to her shock, the oatcakes, plate and all, lifted up into the air and started zooming towards her.
Kel's mouth fell open in shock, along with the mouths of several others who had seen it. In that instant, she lost her control of what she was doing and the oatcakes crashed to the table, the plate shattering into little bits.
Kel felt a sudden urge to sink under the table and disappear under the gaze of almost every eye at the table. She reached out for the only one who was likely to know what was going on.
:L-lan?: She asked, even her MindVoice shaking. :What did I just do?:
Lan seemed to be having a hard time controlling his mental laughter. :I knew that you are a strong MindSpeaker, Chosen, but apparently you have a second powerful Gift as well.: He could Sense Kel's pleasure at being able to Speak him so easily, and he shared it. :Fetching, dearest. You can move stuff with your mind, in layman's terms. Don't worry about it for now. You'll probably get a class in it later, and at Orientation they will teach you to shield if you need it. I think you probably do.: He Sent the mental equivalent of a wink.
Kel looked around, seeing that everyone was still watching her. As casually as she could, she picked up one of the oatcakes, dusted it off, and began to munch. :Thanks, dearest. I'm not so hot on being a creature in a menagerie right now, so maybe I'll head on down early and try to get some tips.:
:Good idea, Chosen. I think you'll notice that they aren't staring anymore, though. You aren't the first Trainee to have a Gift awaken suddenly and rather explosively.:
Lan's Sending was colored with a wry amusement that Kel didn't quite understand, but as she looked around, she discovered that he was right. Apart from a couple covert glances as she got up to leave, and a few sympathetic smiles, the other Trainees has pretty much gone back to what they were doing.
From the map that Lan had planted in her mind previously, Kel was easily able to navigate the twists and turns of the Palace and find her way to the room where Orientation was to be held.
Since the class didn't start for another quarter Candlemark, there were no students there, but, as Kel had expected, the instructor was already preparing for class.
Kel knocked softly on the door. "Excuse me, Herald?" She said, as softly as she could.
The Herald at the desk turned and smiled a welcoming smile. "Hello, youngling. You must be part of my Orientation group. I'm Herald Erran, by the way. Are you Laran's Chosen, Kelsin? But, you are early. Did you need something?"
"Yes, I'm Laran's Chosen." Kel felt a flush of pride at being able to identify herself with such a wonderful person as her Companion. "And, I do need something. See, I sort of have some problems. Lan said they were Gifts. He said they were called Fetching and MindSpeech. I mean, I know what they are from books and stuff, but I can't control them. I sort of keep hearing things, like thoughts, and I kind of accidentally made a plate fly at breakfast. Lan said you could maybe help me not do that again?"
Erran chuckled. "Yes, youngling, Gifts can be a real curse sometimes, for all their use. It sounds as though yours are just awakening naturally. About the moving things, I will teach you to shield a little, which should keep your thoughts from impacting other objects until you are taught how to do it properly. That should also stop you from hearing other people's Thoughts and it will keep other Trainees from hearing yours."
"Lan, my Companion, says I Shout at him, and project things into his mind." Kel admitted, blushing.
"Well, we'll take care of that right now." Erran said firmly. "First, sit down."
Puzzled, Kel sat down cross-legged on the floor.
"Are you comfortable? I mean, absolutely comfortable? This is important."
Kel thought about it. "Yes, Herald."
"Good. Now, you don't know how to trance, so I need you to reach out to your Companion and he'll take you into a trance. He can show you how to Ground and Center."
:Lan?: Kel asked. :Herald Erran says he needs you to take me into a trance and show me how to 'Ground and Center.':
As always, Lan was there, waiting outside physically, but melding with her as they had been melded at the instant of her Choosing. Wordlessly, Lan reached into her mind and helped her to reach a trance state. 'Now.' He said, the voice sounding as though it was Kel thinking, only in a male voice. 'Look into yourself, and find the part of you at the very center. The most stable place you can find.'
Kel looked. She couldn't actually See, because that was not her Gift, but she Felt around inside her, until she found a place that felt almost like her tree back at home. It was a steady place that she could hang onto. As she visualized it, she began to see it, until there really was a silver tree there, glowing in the darkness of her mind.
As soon as she found it, Lan knew. 'Very good,' came that thought voice again. 'Now, look down into the earth, and find a place like that, and connect yourself to it.'
Kel felt her way down to the bottom of her tree. She could see faintly glowing roots. She willed them to grow. They extended into the earth, Kel following, until they reached a boulder-feeling place that felt safe and secure like the tree. Kel directed the roots to grow long and wrap themselves around the rock.
Kel and Lan sighed together as they felt her connect. Gently, Lan left her mind, leaving only a feeling of approval and love. Of course, Lan was never quite out of Kel's head, so the sensation of Lan only dimmed a little, grew fainter, but Kel could again tell that they were two individuals instead of one.
Kel grabbed onto the glowing tree roots again, climbing the tree as she had done with the real one so many times. As she reached the top, she jolted out of trance, coming out of it to see Herald Erran watching her with relief.
"Very good job, youngling! Feel better now?"
"Oh yes, Herald. Much better."
"Good. Now to deal with the rest of it. Imagine a wall all around yourself. Know that nothing and no one can reach you through it unless you want them to."
Kel imagined a great wooden fence surrounding her tree, with many gates that she could open if she wanted to, but could also shut to block out the world. She grew her fence higher and thicker, until the pressure of other minds that she had been barely conscious of feeling suddenly removed itself.
Kel sighed with physical relief. The ever-present buzzing in the back of her mind was gone.
"Well done, Kelsin." Herald Erran said. "You will receive more specific gift training later in your time as a Trainee, but that should hold you until then."
"Thank you, Herald." Kel said quietly, but meaning every word as she had never meant anything before.
Erran smiled. "Glad to help. Now, why don't you sit down? The others should be here any minute."
On cue, two other figures, one male and one female, dressed in Herald Trainee Grays, walked through the door, talking casually. As Lan had said, they appeared to be about Kel's age.
Kel smiled nervously and waved. "Hi guys. I'm Kelsin, Kel for short. They tell me that we're Yearmates."
"Yup! They have been holding the class for you. Well, not you specifically, but three is the least number that they can have in a Yeargroup, so there you go." The male said. "I'm Meral, by the way."
Kel's heart flipped over and nearly stopped. Meral had shoulder-length midnight blue hair, obviously dyed, and slate gray eyes. He was gorgeous, even by the standards of some of Kel's hardest to please friends. Kel was practically drooling.
Although her new shields were supposed to block others out of her mind, they couldn't block Laran. Sounding unwarrantedly annoyed, given the situation, he Sent :Oh stop drooling, Kel. He's probably taken.:
:Humph. Well, no need to be grumpy.: Kel Sent, annoyed and unable to fathom why Lan was so annoyed about her gazing at a guy.
A few minutes later, Lan returned to her mind. :I'm sorry, Chosen. I didn't mean to let it get to me like that.:
Kel could feel Lan's sincere love and apology. Try as she might, however, Kel couldn't get Lan to divulge what it was that would get to him. Since he was truly apologetic, though, and since Kel loved him more than anyone she had ever known, what could she do?
:It's all right, love. I guess you just don't understand girl stuff.:
Thankfully, Lan let the subject drop, although Kel could feel him grumbling from the stables.
"Now, let's get started." Herald Erran suggested. "I see you have already met Meral, Kel. This is your other Yearmate, Risa.
Risa grinned at Kel. "Good. With you being a girl, there are more of us than them. We were getting sadly outnumbered before you showed up."
Risa had friendly brown eyes, and honey colored hair. She stood shorter than Kel by a few inches, but she was just as slender.
"Now that you've all met each other, sit down on the floor and we'll get started. Who here knows what the job of a Herald is?" Erran asked.
Kel sat back and prepared to absorb everything she could about her future occupation, her quarrel with Lan forgotten in the need for information.